Lock



Nov. 8, 1938. a. A. LOFTIN ET AL- LOCK Filed July 26, 1955 mlfi LM/f "A,g. a k WW1. n

Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE LOCK Application July26,

9 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel latch and lock mechanism particularlyadapted for use on chests and similar articles.

A principal purpose of the invention is to provide a simple anddependable combination sprin latch and lock.

Another purpose of the invention is the provision of a lock mechanismwhich will be worked effectively and smoothly in spite of a substantialshifting of the parts to be locked.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a spring latch andlock having a minimum of moving parts.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a spring latch andlock which can readily be unlatched and which indicates quickly anddefinitely whether the mechanism is locked.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the following description of an illustrative embodiment of theinvention in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the look as seen from the front.

Figure 2 is a perspective of the keeper seen from its under side.

Figure 3 is a back View of the lock.

Figure 4 is a View similar to Figure 3, but with the back plate removedto disclose the lock mechanism, the back plate being indicated in dottedlines.

Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of the lock and keeper mounted uponthe front and lid, respectively, of a chest or other receptacle.

Figure 6 is a bottom view of the keeper.

Figure '7 is a section taken on the line !i of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a section taken on the line 8- 40 of Figure 6.

Figure 9 is an elevation of the key.

Figure 10 is an enlarged schematic view of the key-operated parts -ofthe lock, shown in unlocked position, but with the key in position tostart the locking operation.

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10, but showing the parts inlocked position; and

Figure 12 is an enlarged view of the spring latch mechanism, the keyoperated locking parts therefor being omitted.

The lock comprises a casing embodying the conventional housing I andback plate 2, which latter is formed with an offset face plate 3apertured at 4- to receive the latch-engaging portion of the keeper.

1935, Serial No. 33,365

Mounted within and upon the housing I are the operative parts of thelock, including a sleeve 5 within which is slidably and rotatablymounted a cylinder 6 having an integral push button 1 extendingoutwardly and adapted to be exposed upon the front a (Figure 5) of thechest or the like to which the lock is applied. At its opposite end thecylinder 6 is integrally provided with a cylindrical extension havingportions 8 and 9, the former of which is of greater diameter than thelatter. The portion 9 of the cylindrical extension passes through and isguided in an aperture ill in the back plate 2, and the shoulder llformed by the difference in diameter of the parts 8 and 9 provides astop for engagement with the inner face of the back plate to limitinward movement of the cylinder 6 under the influence of pressureapplied to the push button I. Outwardmovement of the cylinder is limitedby the inturned flange l2 of the sleeve 5.

The cylinder 6, including its push button I and cylindrical extension89, is slotted as indicated at l3 to receive the key M, and is freelyrotatable in the sleeve 5 under the influence of the key.

Within the housing I and suitably located adjacent to the cylindricalextension 89 of the cylinder 6 is a trip member l5 pivoted upon a studl6 secured to the back plate and the housing I and supported in properrotating alignment by a bearing stud 15 carried by the housing l. Thetrip member I5 is normally forced toward the cylindrical extension 9 bymeans of a spring I! which bears against the side wall of the housing IIn sliding contact with the trip member 15 is a locking plate [8 mountedfor Vertical sliding movement upon the pin I5 and upon a short stud l9carried by the back plate, the locking plate l8 being slotted asindicated at 20 and 2| to provide guide faces for engagement with thestuds I6 and I9.

The locking plate I8 is provided with a notch 22 by means of whichvertical sliding movement may be imparted to it by the key M, and it hasan offstanding locking lug 23 of such length as to bear against theinner surface of the housing I. It is also provided with an offstandingand rearwardly projecting finger 24 adapted to be engaged by a detent 25of the trip member I5, whereby the locking plate I 8 may be held ineither unlocked or locked position. Moreover, the finger 24 provides astop for limiting movement of the trip member under the influence ofspring I1.

Referring particularly to Figures 9, l0 and 11,

it will be seen that the operative end of the key i4 is provided withtwo wards 26 and 21, respectively, the ward 26 operating upon a greaterradius than the ward 21. The ward 26 engages in the notch 22 to move thelocking plate [8 either up or down, and the ward 21 engages the arcuateface28 and edge 28 of the tongue l5 of the trip member to oscillate thesame upon its. pivot 16 against the influence of spring IT. to therebyrelease the detent from engagement with the finger 24, substantially asillustrated in Figure 10, so that the finger 24 may slide past thedetent 25 either upwardly or downwardly from unlocked. to lockedposition or vice versa.

As illustrated in Figure 11, wherein the parts are shown in lockedposition, it will be seenithat the locking lug 23 has been moved to sucha position that it overlies the circumferential; edge of.

the end of the cylinder 6, and hence prevents the cylinder 6 from beingpushed inwardly under the influence of the push button I. When the partsare in the position illustrated in Figure 10, in which the locking lug.23: is out of alignment with the end. of the cylinder 6, the cylindermaybe pushed inwardly under the influence of the push button 1.

The latch member of the lock comprises an arm 29 pivotedsubstantiallymidway of its length upon a pin 3G'supported in brackets 31 riveted orotherwise suitably secured to the housing I and back plate 2, one end ofthe arm 29 constituting a lever 32 which lies adjacent to thecylindrical extension 8-!) of the cylinder 6 and overlies the innerexposed face or end of the cylinder 6. The other end of the arm 29 isprovided with a hook 33 arranged to underlie the aperture 4 in the faceplate 3, and normally held in such position, and with its lever end 32in engagement with the end of cylinder 6, by a spring 34, one end 35 ofwhich bears against the lever 32 and the other end 36 of which bearsagainst the back plate 2. The upper face of the hook 33 is so shaped asto impart camming action to the latch member upon its pivot when thelatch-engaging member or portion of the keeper is inserted through theaperture 4, thus permitting the latch-engaging member to pass the hook33 and enter the lock to such an extent that it may be engaged by thehook.

In order to provide for smooth and positive operation of the lock, thekeeper comprises a yoke 3'! floatingly or shiftably mounted between arecessed plate 38 and a cap plate 39 which provide a means for readyattachment of the keeper to. the lid b (Figure 5) or other appropriatepart of a chest or the like, the plate 38 being provided with anaperture 40 of greater dimensions than those of the yoke 31 toaccommodate the yoke in its shifting movement, and the yoke having abase 4| arranged between the plates 38- and 39 and of such dimensions asto prevent its escape through the aperture 40, while at the same timepermitting it to float or shift laterally to a limited extent betweenthe plates. The floating mounting of the yoke provides for direct andstraight engagement of the keeper and the latch, withcut any strain orbinding, even when the parts of the chest or the like have becomedisplaced. Yoke 31 is also advantageously provided at its engaging endwith a taper on all sides, as shown, so that it will readily find theaperture in the keeper plat-e 3 even though the door or lid of th achest or the like has become displaced from its original position withrespect to the rest if the chest. When the lock is engaged, howe er, theuntapered portion of the yoke completely fills the aperture 4 thuspreventing access of metal-corroding vapors, such as cedar oil vapors,into the interior of the lock.

The yoke 31 is provided with a roller 42 freely rotatable upon a pin 43,and this roller forms the latch-engaging member of the keeper andfunctions. to effect its smooth and easy engagement and disengagementfrom the latch member of the lock. Also, due to its capability forrotation, it tends to greatly reduce the wear of the parts.

As an easy means for securing the plates 38 V and 39 together, with thebase 4| of the yoke between them, parts 44 and 45 thereof, respectively,are formed to provide suitable screw holes 46, and these parts may be sointerengaged, as illustrated in Figure 8', as to form an inseparableconnection, the parts 44 of the plate 38 being expanded within thecomplemental parts 45 of the plate 39.

It will. be noted, particularly by reference to Figures 2, 5 and 8, thatthe opening 41 of the yoke in which the roller 42 is mounted is ofgreater, depth at one side than at the other. This determines the properposition of the keeper with respect to the lock, it being obvious froman inspection of Figure 5 that if the keeper is not so arranged withrespect to the lock that that side of the opening 41 of greatest depthis toward the front of the lock, the hook 33 of the latch member willnot enter the keeper to properly engage the roller 42.

Obviously, no matter whether the key-operated parts of the lock are inlocked or unlocked position, the keeper may be engaged with the locksimply by pushing its latch-engaging roller 42 into the aperture 4 andinto engagement with the under surface of the hook 33', for the reasonthat inasmuch as the hook 33 is held below the aperture 4 merely by theaction of its spring 34, it may be cammed out of the way by the enteringmovement of the roller 42. However, after the hook 33 of the latchmember has been engaged with the roller 42 of the keeper, it can bedisengaged therefrom only by inward pressure upon the push button 1,whereby the cylinder 6 will operate upon the lever end 32 of the arm 29to oscillate the latch member upon its pivot 30, as illustrated inFigure 12. Hence, if the key-operated parts are in locked position, asillustrated in Figure 11, when the hook 33 of the latch member isengaged with the latch-engaging roller 42 of the keeper, the push button1 cannot be pressed inwardly because of the obstruction furnished by thelocking lug 23, and therefore the hook 33 cannot be disengaged from theroller 42. With the key-operated parts in unlocked position, asillustrated in Figure 4, however, free operation of the latch member bymeans of the push button 1 is possible. In the former case the deviceoperates as a lock, whereas in the latter case it operates merely as aspring latch.

We claim:--

a 1. In a lock including a casing having an opening in the wall thereofand a spring operated latch member in said casing, a keeper memberadapted to penetrate the opening in said casing for locking engagementwith said latch member and being freely movable in every direction in aplane perpendicular to the direction of engagement said keeper memberbeing tapered at its tip so as to freely enter the opening in saidcasing and being shaped at its base-to substantially fill the opening inthe casing whereby the keeper is caused to assume a constant fixedposition in said casing relative to said latch.

2. In a lock including a casing having an opening int-he wall thereofand a spring operated latch member in said casing, a keeper memberadapted to penetrate the opening in said casing for locking engagementwith said latch member, said keeper member being freely movable in aplane perpendicular to the direction of engagement and being shaped atits base tocompletely fill the opening in said casing.

3. In a lock including a casing having an opening in the wall thereofand a spring operated latch member in said casing, a keeper memberadapted to penetrate the opening in said casing for locking engagementwith said latch member, said keeper member being freely movable in aplane perpendicular to the direction of engagement and being tapered atits tip so as to freely enter the opening in said casing and shaped atits base to completely fill the opening in said casing.

4. In a lock particularly adapted for use on a container embodying cedaroil emanating material, a keeper adapted to penetrate an opening in thecasing of said lock for locking engagement with a latch member therein,said keeper being shaped at its base to completely fill the opening inthe casing of said lock whereby cedar oil vapor is prevented fromentering said lock.

5. In a lock particularly adapted for use on a container embodying cedaroil emanating material, a keeper adapted to penetrate an opening in thecasing of said lock for locking engagement with a latch member therein,said keeper being tapered at its tip so as to freely enter the openingin the casing of said lock and shaped at its base to completely fill theopening in the casing of said lock whereby cedar oil vapor is preventedfrom entering said lock.

6. In a lock particularly adapted for use on a container embodying cedaroil emanating material, a keeper adapted to penetrate an opening in thecasing of said lock for locking engagement with a latch member therein,said keeper being freely movable in a plane perpendicular to thedirection of engagement, being tapered at its tip so as to freely enterthe opening in the casing of said lock and shaped at its base tocompletely fill the opening in the casing of said lock whereby cedar oilvapor is prevented from entering said lock.

7. In a lock particularly adapted for use on a container embodying cedaroil emanating material, a keeper adapted to penetrate an opening in thecasing of said lock for locking engagement with a latch member thereinand a roller member rotatably carried by said keeper at its engagementend, said keeper being shaped at its base to completely fill the openingin the casing of said lock whereby cedar oil vapor is prevented fromentering said lock.

8. In a lock including a casing having an opening in the wall thereofand a spring-operated latch member in said casing, a keeper memberadapted to penetrate the opening in said casing for locking engagementwith said latch member, said keeper member comprising a mounting plateand a yoke shiftably carried in said mounting plate and a latch engagingroller rotatably carried by said yoke, said yoke being tapered at theend carrying the roller so as to freely enter the opening in said casingand being shaped at its base to substantially fill the opening in thecasing whereby the keeper is caused to assume a constant fixed positionin said casing relative to said latch.

9. In a lock for a chest having a body and a lid member hinged to saidbody, said lock having a casing fixed to said body having an opening inthe wall thereof and a pivoted latch member mounted in the casing, thecombination of a keeper member carried by the lid of said chest andmeans mounting said keeper for bodily movement in all directions in aplane perpendicular to the direction of engagement with said latch andbeing tapered toward the tip end thereof whereby to freely enter saidopening in the casing in the closing movement of said lid and by reasonof the engagement of the tapered keeper in the opening independently ofmanual adjustment to assume a fixed and constant position with respectto said latch member.

LAURENCE K. LOFTIN. GRADY A. LOFTIN.

